But as so often happens with picky eaters they've both dropped out of favour and chickpeas are no longer accepted by R. I'll keep on making them though in the hope that things swing back in their favour but in the meantime this vegan quinoa burger is rocking our burger world.

We first made these burgers at a kids cookery class hosted by vegetarian restaurant tibits. This is my version of their burgers.

This recipe is really easy to make and I often get the kids to make their own burgers.

If you are going to cook this with your kids be sure to let the potatoes and quinoa cool down before letting them touch the mixture.

How to cook veggie burgers

To an extent this depends on the individual burger recipe you're making. Some burgers will fall apart very easily and need to be treated with care.

These quinoa burgers are pretty sturdy and can be fried or oven baked. I usually oven bake them to keep them a little healthier.

Other types of burgers, for example those made with beans, are sometimes better started off in a frying pan to give them a crust.

If you'd like these veggie burgers to be crispier try brushing them with a little oil before baking.

What do you use to bind these vegan potato and quinoa burgers?

The combination of mashed potato and cornflour binds these veggie burgers together perfectly.

Help! How do you cook quinoa?

Quinoa has a bad reputation for being difficult to cook.

This is an unfair reputation as it's actually really easy to prepare.

The simplest way to cook quinoa is to boil it in three times the volume of water.

So if you're using 100g quinoa, as in this quinoa burger recipe, you will need to add 300ml water.

Bring your quinoa to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the water has been absorbed. You can cook it in vegetable stock if you'd like to add extra flavour.

To serve

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Cook 100g quinoa according to the packet instructions and set aside. Boil your 2 chopped potatoes until soft, drain and set aside.

Heat up the oil in a large sauté pan and soften the chopped onion. When cooked put into a large bowl.

Add the cooked quinoa and potato.

Finely chop 30g flat leaf parsley and add to the dough. Next add 1.5 tbsp cornflour, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1.5 tbsp garam masala. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mash everything together well until it comes together into a dough.

Use your hands to roll the dough into six* balls and press flat gently. Put the burgers on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, turning halfway.

Serve in a bun with gherkins, tomato and lettuce and sweet potato wedges on the side.

Notes

*NB: this recipe makes six small patties. I usually make two larger ones and three smaller ones to suit our family. You can scale up this recipe if you have more people to feed or are feeding all adults.